There are times when Google completely baffles us by adding a feature that we didn't even remotely think could be possible, or needed, or useful. Like now for example, there's a new Search bar when you visit the list of Assistant actions. How groundbreaking!

Whether you check the list by tapping the blue icon on the top right after launching Assistant, or by browsing in the Google Home app, you can see a new search bar on top. That lets you search through all the possible Assistant integrations, from first-party ones like Hue and SmartThings and Honeywell, to third-party services like Alarm.com, Logitech, Roomba, and more trivial things such as Number Genie, Knock Knock Who, and others. A search icon also shows up on the top right when you're browsing different Assistant categories, so it's always easy to look for something specific.

The search bar is visible from the Assistant (left) or the Home app (right).

Finding what you're looking for is now much, much simpler than scrolling through a long list like we had before or swiping through the card interface that we have now. It also improves discoverability. Search for "light" and you have all the potential services that can control your lights, or "alarm," or "sport," or "recipe," and you have a list of options to explore.

Once you find a service you like, you can either try it if it doesn't require an account or link your account to get started if it does, as usual. The search bar just makes discoverability so much better.

The search bar and icon are showing up on all our devices with Assistant, so this appears to be live for everyone now, though it could have started showing up earlier for some users.

Material design search boxes were all a separate layer with drop shadow. Play store, play music, chrome. Other acceptable implements I've seen are just in the top bar like YouTube or underlined, like a evolution of the Holo era. This simple dark line is simply ugly until the rest of the app is in line with it.

They're "first party services" when it comes to Google Home/Assistant, in the way that they're directly integrated and approved by Google and work in the Google Home/Assistant app through "Home control," so you can ask Google to turn off the light and it will do it through Hue.
Third-party services are implemented by companies (and not directly part of the Google Home partners), and you have to say "Ok Google, talk to service X" or "Ok google ask X to do something".

Yeah but only for creating new notes, not for adding items to an existing note.

EarlyMon

Look. Up.

You can keep adding things to lists, but not notes.

Jacob Briggs

Google Home -> "I am sorry, I can't take notes yet" :(

Google are truely baffling. You could add to a list in Google Home, then they migrated to that horrible Google Express that only works in the states, and then seem to have deleted their google keep integration!

EarlyMon

I can't append to existing lists, just add new ones.

EarlyMon

OK I got it. :)

Create a list in Keep, title = Shopping

From Assistant -

Add (item) to keep shopping list

Everything you add from there goes into the same list.

Jacob Briggs

Is this assistant only, Home is having non-of it.

You can override it though, it involves switching to todoist for note management and using IFTTT to override shopping list keywords

I'm not seeing this on my Pixel yet.
I wonder if they were ever able to have access ADT Pulse.

ᗪ ᒍ ᗩ K ᗪ E K I E ᒪ

That's f*** awesome feature :D

xxTheGoDxx

Not supported on Android Wear though... Thanks Google, you are really great at supporting devices you have near full control over...

mattcoz

Oh wow, didn't realize I could link it with my Harmony hub, nice!

SOMFW

Trying to get a job with Google?
This so called feature is neither useful, groundbreaking or frankly, needed.
Google Assistant is a mess. Every iteration gets worse. Kissing Google ass by praising the candy coating bloat they place in the app to distract, doesn't help.

When you so called reviewers, do nothing but praise Google, in hopes for a job or a free device, you are not helping.
Google has Long had a free ride from their billion+ beta tester / guinea pigs and it needs to stop. They need to be read the "customers by you reviewers and the end users, those people that Google does not consider it's "customers", need to stop using Google services.
Googles real customers are the advertisers. The end users are just an end to the means

You do realize that the whole article was sarcastic and poking fun at how such a simple search bar was just added now, from a company that does search first and foremost, right?
And thanks for stopping by Android Police for the first time, it seems. Here, we cover bugs and issues more than we cover features: http://www.androidpolice.com/topics/features/bug-watch-features/
How's that work with your theory about us "trying to get a job with Google" and "do nothing but praise Google in hopes for a job or a free device"?

infi_nitive

It's difficult to respect Google after they senselessly removed the Search hardware key. Now they've restored a tiny bit of that functionality by wasting space with a search bar you have to dislocate your thumb to reach? Not to mention the idiotic search widget all these phones ship with. /rant

What is the difference between "first part" and"third party" apps as mentioned in the article?

Lee

I hate to complain about updates, this definitely came with some great features, for example two weeks ago I asked the The Google Assistant on my Google Home if the garage lights were on and it replied that it could not do that yet but with this new update it can but the example saw in the Google App was using this query with Phillips Hue lights whereas I use TP-Link.
How will average users of these devices like my parents and siblings that do not read Android Police daily learn about these new features?
I think Google needs to push these new features out in groups on weekly or monthly basis and maybe an actual updated tutorial channel on YouTube. Just my two cents, I just want everyone to be able to use it to the full potential not strictly for playing music and setting alarms.

Karthik B

Is this English(US) specific? I'm on the latest google beta and unable to see this setting